This is a very common question from my students:

“What language is Armenian most similar to? Is it like Russian? Is it like Persian?”

The short answer is: Armenian is in a class of its own.

As a language learner, understanding the roots of the language you’re studying helps you make sense of its vocabulary, grammar, and history.

If you’re starting to learn Armenian, you’re going to throw yourself into one of the most interesting linguistic specimens in the world.

I’ll explain exactly where Armenian comes from, why it is so unique, and how its history actually makes learning the language a richer experience if you keep reading.

What is the Indo-European language family?

To understand Armenian, we first need to look at the big picture.

Most of the languages spoken in Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia belong to a massive “family tree” called the Indo-European language family.

Thousands of years ago, there was a single language (which linguists call Proto-Indo-European). Over time, tribes migrated, separated, and their languages changed.

Eventually, this one ancient language split into many different branches. English, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Hindi, and Persian all belong to this massive language family.

Because they share a great-great-grandparent language, they also share common root words and grammatical patterns.

The lone branch: why Armenian is so unique

Here is where Armenian gets interesting.

Most languages in the Indo-European family have “siblings.” For example:

• Spanish, Italian, and French are siblings (the Romance branch).
• English, German, and Dutch are siblings (the Germanic branch).
• Russian, Polish, and Czech are siblings (the Slavic branch).

Armenian has no living siblings.

It sits on its very own, independent branch of the Indo-European family tree. There is no other language spoken today that is closely related to it. Greek and Albanian are also independent branches, but Armenian developed completely separately from them in the Armenian Highlands.

Because it developed in isolation for thousands of years, Armenian sounds and looks completely different from its distant Indo-European cousins.

Borrowed words vs. true roots

For a long time in the 19th century, linguists actually thought Armenian was a dialect of Persian (an Iranian language).

Why? Because throughout history, Armenia was closely tied to the Parthian and Persian empires. During this time, Armenian “borrowed” hundreds of words from them.

However, in 1875, a linguist named Heinrich Hübschmann proved everyone wrong. He looked past the borrowed words and studied the core, foundational vocabulary of Armenian—words for family members, body parts, and basic nature.

He discovered that these core words didn’t come from Persian. They came directly from the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. This discovery proved that Armenian was its own unique, independent branch!

Indo-European cognates in Armenian

Let’s look at some proof!

Words that share the same ancient root across different languages are called cognates. Even though Armenian looks unique, you can easily spot its distant connection to English if you look at basic vocabulary.

Here are a few fascinating examples of Armenian words that share the exact same ancient roots as English:

When you learn these words in an Armenian course, you are actually learning vocabulary that has been passed down for over 5,000 years!

Eastern vs. Western Armenian: regional variations

Because of Armenia’s complex history, the language eventually split into two main standard forms: Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian.

If you are learning the language, you need to pick one of these to focus on.

Eastern Armenian is spoken in the Republic of Armenia and Iran. Western Armenian is spoken primarily by the global Armenian diaspora (descendants of Armenians from the Ottoman Empire).

While they share the same roots and vocabulary, they have some distinct differences in pronunciation and grammar. The biggest difference is a “consonant shift.”

For example, the letter “Բ” sounds like a hard “B” in Eastern Armenian, but it sounds like a soft “P” in Western Armenian.

Let’s look at how you say “Hello” in both regional variations:

Eastern Armenian (spoken in Armenia):

Western Armenian (spoken in the diaspora):

Here is another example asking “How are you?”:

Eastern Armenian:

Western Armenian:

Notice how the p and b sounds swap places depending on the dialect! When you are starting out, choose the dialect that matches the people you want to speak with, and stick with it.

The magic of the Armenian alphabet

You cannot talk about the roots of Armenian without talking about its alphabet.

Unlike English or Spanish which use the Latin alphabet, or Russian which uses Cyrillic, Armenian has its very own script.

It was invented in the year 405 AD by a monk named Mesrop Mashtots. Before this, Armenian was only a spoken language. Mashtots created the alphabet specifically to translate the Bible, and he designed it to perfectly match the unique sounds of the Armenian language.

Many beginners are intimidated by the Armenian alphabet. Don’t be!

Because the alphabet was custom-made for the language, it is highly phonetic. This means that once you learn the letters, you can read almost any word exactly as it is written. There are no silent letters or strange spelling rules like in English!

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Armenian is a linguistic treasure. It is an Indo-European language, but it sits alone on its very own branch.

When you learn Armenian, you are learning a language that has survived empires, kept its ancient roots, and uses an alphabet created over 1,600 years ago.